So, where did June go?

It seems like just yesterday we were coloring eggs for Easter and still telling our children to wear a jacket. Now the kids are out of school and it is time to buy some sparklers and fireworks! Where has the time gone?

Summertime can be one of the nicest seasons around. The designers at BTDL are scattered around the country. Down south, out west, up north, out east... we have ladies in just about every US timezone, as well as just about every climate. But no matter what the weather, there are some favorite events that we just love to scrap. Vacations, family picnics, summer blockbuster movies, days at the beach...

In addition to taking photographs, there are so many ways to capture those great summer moments, no matter how big or small. Journaling, of course, is one of the best ways to capture the magic of those memories. But don't forget the "little" things, too, that will help bring those memories back years from now... Below are some ideas of the "little" things that will add interest to your scrapbook pages, as well as make wonderful embellishments. Set aside a plastic page protector from your scrapbook and use it as an envelope to store all your goodies you find.

Vacations:
Ticket stubs, maps of theme parks, receipts from hotel gift shop, brochures from the hotel lobby, postcards, train schedule, business card from that little bistro you found that had the best pizza in town...

Movies:
tickets, reviews from the newspaper, clip of showtimes from the newspaper, write out a quote from the best movie you saw this season, a flattened popcorn box (not the one you ate from - I don't know that butter and salt are AF/LF :))...

Beach fun:
tags from your new swimsuit, the paper umbrella from that fancy frozen drink, the parking pass, postcards...

Family picnics and Barbeques:
recipe card of Auntie Edith's "Secret" recipe for sweet potato pie, the homemade invitation your 8-year-old nephew sent to everyone...

Birthday parties:
scraps of wrapping paper, a party hat (flattened out), birthday cards, the invitations, a list of guests, hang tags from a favorite gift, or the instructions to your three-year-old's new "easy to assemble" bike...

This is just a small list of things you could add to your book to make it more memorable. Ways to incorporate these items are also fun! Make a flower out of receipts or ticket stubs, use cards as envelopes or journal blocks, clip out pictures from brochures for instant clip art. That popcorn box would make a great pocket to store all those ticket stubs :)...

Inspiration

It is the middle of the night, and I can't sleep. I didn't watch a scary movie, no one in my house has a fever, and it most definitely isn't the pile of laundry waiting to be folded. There is always a pile of laundry to be folded in my house.

No. It is the small stack of scrapbook paper I splurged on today, sitting quietly in my scrap room. New and beautiful 12x12 patterned paper, fresh from the local scrapbook store. The pretty pinks from Basic Grey's "Sugared" line... the distressed loveliness from My Mind's Eyes newest "Wild Asparagus" series... The whimsical and haunting flourishes of the "FLEURISTE" papers from Cosmo Cricket...Images of double matted photos are dancing in my head, and when I remember the cute grosgrain ribbon curled up next to that pile of paper, I have to get out of bed. Who cares that it is 3am? There is paper that needs to be trimmed!

The designers at BTDL are often asked, "Where do you get your ideas?" Many times, it is a fabulous product that gets the creativity going. Song lyrics, old family photos, movie titles, that adorable picture taken at last week's family barbecue... what inspires you?

We would love to hear some of your stories of favorite inspired layouts, unusual sources of inspiration... What inspires you?

To organize or not to organize... that is the question!

I started out with a tote that I stored my scrapook materials in. Then I bought a few little boxes. Soon I commandeered a bookshelf in the guestroom, and the next thing I know... I had taken over the entire room. How is it that this innocent hobby became an obsession, an obsession that requires massive amounts of storage and work space?



With all of the goodies out there available for scrappers, finding a good way to store all the pretties we "need" can be a challenge. From large, 12x12 papers to tiny little brads and snippets of ribbon, the range of storage needs are vast. And if you are like me (read pack rat), I take the "scrap" in "scrapbooking" seriously. I can't bear to toss my pretty scraps! One never knows if, the next time you go shopping, that particular paper will be gone. Sold out. No reordering in sight! Perish the thought! So I have baskets full of scraps. I tell myself that I will most definately use them for cards. Or tags. Or future piecings. If I just had one more drawer to store the latest scraps I saved....

And ribbon. Oh, ribbon... wherefore art thou so unruly? Why does the ricrac insist upon hiding in a tangle under a spool of polkadotted grossgrain?

Whether you have a box on a shelf or an entire wing of your house to scrap in (hey- a girl can dream), what are some of the best organizing tips you have found? Maybe you have a foolproof way to store your ribbon. An ingenious way to sort your Primas? A method for managing mismatched scraps? A system for keeping your workspace tidy? Share your tips!

What's Hot, What's Not...

Recently, the designers at BTDL were doing some much needed Spring Cleaning. No, we weren't washing windows. Or dusting. And we were definatelynot doing laundry... we were organizing our scrap spaces! If you are like us, you have your stash of papers, tools, embellishments, ribbons, adhesive, chipboard... well, the list goes on. So many fun products, so little time!

And how times have changed! A few years ago (OK, more than a few) fancy edged scissors were all the rage. Crinkle edges, lacy edges, zig-zag edges, swirly edges, "torn" edges... And who could forget shape templates? Square or rectangular photos were passe, and every photo had to be a circle, or heart-shaped, or star shaped, or cloud-shaped...

Trends come and go, and will even come back again. What trends do you see as "hot" right now?

What's new at BTDL

Busy, busy, busy...

The last few weeks and months at BTDL have been a flurry of activity! We are just wrapping up our Grand Opening of our online boutique, BTDLDesigns.com
which features paper piecings, altered art, premade scrapbook pages, custom albums.... there is a plethora of goodies to choose from :)


We are still keeping busy at eBay as well. We are launching a new series of artwork tonight called "Masterpiece Mondays."









While each and every piece we make is a work of "heart", we thought it would be fun to challenge each other to create a piece that pulls out all the stops! Goes beyond the distance, raises the bar so high a giant could limbo under it, detailed to the last drop-dead-gorgeous... and as a result, "Masterpiece Mondays" were born. This is the night where BTDL artists list a piece they have dreamed of for months,sweated over all week, and held nothing back in the attempt to knock you off your seat! Be sure to stop over to eBay and see what we have been up to!

We are also launching our themed challenge for May. As each day gets a little warmer, each artist is welcoming summer with a summer-themed project.







Simply search 'BTDL' at eBay, and see what hot new items are making a splash!

A note on Ebay's Recent Fee and Feedback Changes

Hoping to send a message to Ebay, sellers across the United States are participating in a week long boycott from buying and sell on Ebay. To understand the newly released fee structure and changes in feedback, please check out the link below which provides a complete outline.

http://www2.ebay.com/aw/core/200801.shtml#2008-01-29054823

The boycott will take place February 18th - February 25th - and many of the BTDL Girls will be supporting this boycott. For any questions, please feel free to comment!

Welcome to the BTDL Blog Debut!